In cutting up meat in industrial butcheries, a carcass part is hung up at a stand, and the butcher cuts loose various meat-parts therefrom. Such meat-parts are often heavy and difficult to handle.
From German patent application P No. 29 25 325.6 there is known a meat gripping means which is supported by a horizontally drivable and vertically adjustable device.
The gripping means comprises a handle with movable jaws. Power lines are connected to the drive means in the handle, said drive means being controllable by means of a manually actuatable control on the handle. The drive means is coupled to the jaws to permit opening and shutting the jaws.
The known gripping means is complicated and therefore expensive to manufacture. Moreover, the butcher has to supervise the transport of the meat piece by means of said horizontally drivable means, and release the jaws when the meat piece is to be dropped onto a conveyor for further transport.
Moreover, the butcher has to await return of the gripping means to the work station before he can attach the gripping means and start a new cutting up operation.